McDougal Center
Facilities and Resources
The McDougal Common Room is an atmospheric and comfortable lounge for graduate students with its own café, wireless and wired internet access, periodicals, book collections, piano, board games and an e-mail kiosk.
The McDougal Center is home to a number of resources for graduate students, most of which are located on a lower level accessible by stairs and elevator. There is a public phone on the first floor and a campus phone on the lower level, as well as vending machines on the lower level that accept cash and Yale ID. Brochures containing maps, transit schedules and general information about Yale and New Haven are provided in racks along the entry and corridor of the Center.
An ITS computer lab is located on the lower level of the Center in rooms B47-51, containing both PC and Mac stations, as well as a Mac multimedia and publishing station with scanner. A printing station with a laser copier and printer is available for those who have set up an account through the ITS Web Print network. This cluster is open during normal center operating hours only and is essentially self-service. Students who encounter problems with the equipment or have questions about the facilities should contact student computing.
In addition to its family-centered programs, the McDougal Center maintains a resource room and children’s play area for use by parents and caregivers in the graduate and professional student and postdoctoral fellow community. Located on the lower level of the Center in rooms B48-50, the resource room provides a central location for announcements and information regarding childcare, health and safety issues and babysitting, as well as parenting periodicals and space for nursing.
The play area contains books, stuffed animals, activities, building blocks and toys for infants, toddlers and young children, who must be supervised by adults at all times. Recurring informal playgroups meet in this room, with existing groups listed on the Family Life calendar. Parents interested in scheduling a time for a new group should contact the McDougal office by email or at (203) 432-BLUE. Other family-friendly facilities in the Center include changing tables in all first-floor restrooms in HGS, high-chairs and booster seats in the dining hall and café, and stroller access to all areas.
In conjunction with UHS Health Education, the McDougal Wellness Fellows provide free health information and safer sex supplies are available in the lower level of the Center.
At the request of the Graduate Student Assembly, the McDougal Center established a music practice room for students enrolled in the Graduate School. This small, quiet room contains a regularly tuned upright piano, as well as stands and chairs suitable for chamber groups. As the room is located near administrative offices, it is available for use only after business hours from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm on weekdays and from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm on weekends, with limited access during recess and summers. Students who wish to use the room can check out the key from the staff in HGS 123 HGS by surrendering their student ID. Students can reserve the room in advance on either an individual or recurring basis by submitting a request form.
There is also a baby grand piano in the McDougal Center Common Room, although playing is allowed only between the hours of 10:00 am and 10:00 pm (or 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm when the Blue Dog Café is operating) and must be kept at a low volume so as not to disturb others present in the Common Room. The piano in the Common Room cannot be reserved.
The Resource Library is a non-circulating, self-service reference library with materials for doctoral students and recent graduates concerning careers, teaching and professional writing. It is located in HGS 120 and open weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Graduate students are welcome to search the catalog and borrow materials to review on site within the McDougal Center for three hours. An ITS copy station is available on the lower level for those who wish to reproduce certain resources for extended use. Students with questions, comments or suggestions for resources the library should obtain should contact the McDougal Center by e-mail.
Graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows, staff and family are eligible, with some restrictions, to purchase tickets to events organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and certain local attractions and theaters. The Box Office also distributes FEAST lunch tickets to students and faculty.
The box office is located in HGS 123 and is open weekdays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm during the academic year from September through May, with reduced hours during breaks and recesses. All purchases require Yale ID and must be made in cash or check payable to Yale University. All sales are final. Please make inquiries in person at HGS 123, by phone at 203.432.BLUE or via email.
